Masquerade
by God Boy's Girl
Summary: Darcy talks Jane into going to a Masquerade party, and when she ends up being her usual wallflower self, a smooth talking stranger appears. After a bored conversation turns interesting, Jane finds herself enjoying this stranger's company and the rest of her night. It's what happens in the days later that concerns her, especially when this stranger starts appearing everywhere. (AU)
1. The Party

**A/N: **Hey guys! So, this is my first time writing a fanfic for something that isn't anime-related, and the first time I've written in present-tense, haha. This is kind of based on a prompt, but I suppose I completely went against what it was supposed to be, so instead, you have this! I hope you guys enjoy it, and please let me know what you think!

Keep in mind that this is an AU. :)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Marvel or any characters within the Marvel universe (if I did, I wouldn't work at a grocery store . . .). This is not for profit, merely entertainment purposes!

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><p><em>In which Darcy drags Jane to a Masquerade Ball that happens to have some very interesting guests attending.<em>

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><p>"I can't believe I let you talk me into this."<p>

"I don't understand why _that_ would be. You know you let me talk you into everything," Darcy grins, glancing at her friend over the rack of costume clothing she's currently perusing. "Besides, if it weren't for me, you'd never have any fun at all! You should be thankful, really—and give me a raise."

"I don't _pay_ you, Darcy, you're an intern," Jane retorts, eyeing a bright yellow outfit skeptically as she does so. She sighs heavily. "Be thankful I even feed you at this point."

"Hey, I feed myself sometimes, too!" Darcy states defensively, before gasping with joy as she pulls out a black dress. "What do you think?"

Jane stares at the garment with a frown, "for you, or for me?"

"Me, duh." Darcy rolls her eyes, tucking the item under her armpit along with the other clothes she's found. "I know you don't like wearing a lot of black stuff. Don't worry, though, we'll find you something!"

Jane nods absentmindedly as she continues to examine the selection before her. She's questioned her sanity a lot by this point, but never more than the moment right after she'd agreed to attend a Masquerade ball that Darcy had been invited to. Jane still isn't sure how Darcy always manages to get these things, but she's long since given up on seeking the answer. There are some things even _science_ can't answer (although she'll never admit this out loud.)

They continue to look in silence for a long while before they both have enough clothing gathered to try on. Darcy huffs as Jane refuses to allow her into the same dressing room, arguing that they've changed in front of each other _plenty_ of times at home, but the latter ignores her anyway. After an excessively long endeavor to find an outfit that fits and Darcy is satisfied with letting her out into public with, Jane is stuck waiting for her intern to pick out something for herself (she absolutely refuses to get Jane's opinion because her clothing is 'suited for the "forever alone" crowd').

Finally, Darcy emerges with a large, satisfied grin and the pair heads to the mask section, which Jane groans at upon seeing the selection. "We're never going to get out of here."

Darcy laughs, and Jane is pretty sure it sounds maniacal. "Sure we will! We have to, or we'll miss the party."

"Right," Jane sighs, "because what a shame that would be."

xXxXxXx

"I'm telling you, it would go a lot smoother if you just let me do it," Darcy states, glancing at Jane's reflection in the mirror. The latter attempts to scowl at her friend while still applying mascara, a feat that she feels she should be congratulated for.

"Look, just because I don't usually wear makeup doesn't mean that I never _have_," Jane grumbles, wincing as she nearly pokes herself in the eye. She sighs, setting the applier down. "Besides, why do I need to wear makeup, anyway? We're going to be wearing masks."

"Oh my god, Jane, I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Darcy scolds, turning to her friend. "You should _always_ wear makeup when going out. What if you meet someone incredible? You wanna look your best—just trust me. Now give me that, before you hurt yourself."

Jane sighs, handing over the offending object. She only pouts mildly as her intern applies the amount of makeup that she deems satisfactory, and when she's done, even Jane has to admit that she's done a good job. Her eyes are popping, and the shade of red lipstick that Darcy picked out makes her lips look less like she's part albino. She sighs (again). "Thanks."

"It's what best friends are for," Darcy shrugs, before finishing up the last few touches on her own makeup. "Although I don't know what you ever did before you found me."

"Studied a lot and didn't have any distractions," Jane mutters under her breath, watching the woman as she set her own makeup items down.

"Good, putting our faces on is done," Darcy chirps, before suddenly grabbing Jane by the arm, not giving her an option as she pushes her down onto the closed toilet seat, picking up a curling iron Jane hadn't realized she'd turned on. Darcy grins at her friend, clacking the object menacingly. "Now, time for an appropriate hairdo."

xXxXxXx

Jane examines herself in the body-length mirror that Darcy had brought with her when she'd moved in, not quite recognizing herself. A long, elegant green dress adorns her figure, lined with gold and white patterns. It has a very distinct Victorian appearance to it, and she can't help but smile a little to herself. As much of a science geek as she'd been in her youth, and admittedly, her present, a little bit of her fascination with the Victorian era has still managed to stick around. She's also pleased with the fact that they were able to find a mask that goes perfectly with the dress. It's a beautiful green mask with gold trim and swirls, and a large white feather adorns the top of it, but isn't obnoxious enough to take away from her curly updo, which twin tendrils fall from to frame her face. She nods, satisfied with her appearance. At least, if nothing else, she's presentable.

Darcy emerges from the bathroom a moment later, fully clad in a black and silver Victorian-style dress, her hair pinned up as well. She beams brightly at Jane from behind her black mask, doing a twirl. "What do you think?"

"You look great," Jane smiles, chuckling softly. "I didn't realize you could be such a girlie-girl."

"Hey, we're hiding behind masks," Darcy laughs. "No one will ever know that it's me, so I can let my bad-girl reputation slide a little bit."

"I'm sure that's what it is," Jane smirks, rolling her eyes before a loud honk distracts her. "Looks like your friend's shown up."

"Awesome!" Darcy practically runs to the door (how someone does that in heels, Jane will never know), while Jane concentrates on following after her without falling over in her own heels. She never will understand the point of having impractical shoes.

Jane seems to be in more shock than Darcy when they step outside to a waiting limo. A beautiful blonde woman waves at them from the side of it, a huge smile on her face. "Darcy! You and your friend look great!"

"Ha! Thanks!" Darcy replies, before grabbing Jane and practically dragging her to the limo. "Jane, meet Anna, and vice-versa. Anna's the one who's getting us into the party. This is gonna be great!"

"Nice to meet you," Anna smiles, laughing softly. "It's a high society party, so I'm just really glad I don't have to go alone."

"High society?" Jane repeats, looking at Darcy skeptically. She wasn't told about this part. Darcy smiles sheepishly. "Yeah, I may have forgotten to mention that part. But it's fine! There's an open bar, and we're just going to have fun and see what kind of hotties are gonna be there."

Jane ignores the woman's waggling eyebrows, turning back to Anna. "What kind of high society?"

"Just some business owners," she replies, as if it were no big deal. "Don't worry about it! You guys are going to fit in fine, and I'm only going to represent my CEO. He told me to bring a guest or two so the company looked better."

"Right," Jane says, although she feels far from not worrying about. Still, as she's ushered into the limo by her intern, she decides that maybe, for once, she could try not to be the over-analytical astrophysicist.

xXxXxXx

They've been at the party for a half an hour now, and Jane has decided that she's never _not_ going to be the over-analytical astrophysicist, and she's never following one of Darcy's random schemes again.

She lost Darcy as soon as the first guy asked her intern to dance. Anna had disappeared earlier than that, having needed to mingle with some people for her boss. Jane understood, she really did, but as the college student who never went to parties, Jane is beginning to feel ridiculously out of place. She's managed to bump into several people already, and after apologizing profusely, now finds herself leaning against the wall near the bar, some girly drink that Darcy shoved into her hand first thing clutched fairly close to her chest, only half-empty. She sighs, wishing that she'd driven herself so she could just leave instead of being forced to hang around at a party she doesn't feel comfortable at.

"If I didn't know better, I would assume that the drink you are clinging to is a form of life support," states a voice to Jane's left, and she nearly jumps three feet in the air in response. Her head snaps towards the sound, eyes landing on a tall stranger leaning against the wall who she could swear was _not_ there a moment ago. "E-excuse me?"

Emerald eyes gaze back at her, hidden behind a simple black mask. A smirk stretches across thin lips, and the man chuckles lightly. "You are clinging to your drink as though it is the last hope for survival," he responds, voice as smooth as silk and dripping with a British accent. Jane stiffens, trying to ignore the fact that she's sure her face is burning like a wildfire.

"Oh, um, no," Jane mutters, looking down at her drink self consciously. "I just, well . . . I don't really know anyone here, and the people I came with have disappeared on me."

"I'm fairly confident that the point of a masquerade ball is to make sure that no one knows who anyone else is," the man responds thoughtfully, looking out at the party. "Although, I must say that this isn't particularly my kind of event, either."

Jane smiles a little bit, thankful that at least she isn't alone in that. She glances up at her companion, looking him over a bit better while he isn't facing her. He's wearing a black tuxedo, which stands out in comparison to everyone else's less modern style for the party, and his lengthy black hair is slicked back. Jane is impressed that it doesn't look oily, which is more than she can say for any of her past friends who have attempted the look. She quickly turns back to the crowd as he shifts to look at her again.

"So, if this isn't your cup of tea," he muses, "why are you here? Certainly it can't just be because you moonlight as a wallflower."

Jane emits a quiet laugh. "The last part depends on who you ask, actually . . . And I'm here because my friend dragged me along with her."

"Ah, so you make it a habit to allow your friends to take you places you don't wish to go?"

"My friend is very persuasive," Jane sighs. "She's hard to say no to."

"I see," the man states, another smirk playing on his lips.

Jane nods, feeling a little uncomfortable as silence fell on them. After a moment of building courage up, she glances at the man once more. "So, if this isn't _your_ cup of tea, why are you here?"

"Hm, business is probably the most accurate response," he states slowly. "I was asked to attend so that the heir to the company doesn't make a mockery of it with his dimwitted knowledge, but seeing as everyone here seems to be more interested in drinking and telling stories of their youthful college days than actually discussing business, my need for being here has been relinquished."

"Oh," Jane frowns. This man is definitely better-spoken than anyone she's ever talked to before. "That sounds unfortunate."

"Yes, and no," he states with a haphazard shrug that seems like it should be out of character for him. "I don't actually mind not having to babysit a fully-grown man, but I do tend to get bored inside the walls of this building. I would rather be away from the loud music and less than intelligent guests. You're the first person I've spoken to who hasn't slurred half of their words, actually."

Jane isn't quite sure if that's a compliment, but she decides she'll take it as one. "Well, thank you. I'm not a large drinker, especially when I have no real idea where I am."

"Most people are not so cautious," he smirks, before standing fully and turning to face her. She suddenly feels ridiculously tiny, as he'd apparently been slouching while leaning against the wall. She unconsciously stands at her full height, too, but still comes up ridiculously short. He raises a brow behind his mask for a moment before he looks around. "So, if you are not interested in anything going on here, would you perhaps accompany me outside? I could use the fresh air, and I'm fairly certain the music is getting worse."

Jane eyes him suspiciously for a moment, and his smirk appears to widen. "No funny business, I assure you."

Jane glances around at the party once more, not seeing a trace of Darcy or Anna, and finally sighs softly. "Sure, why not? I suppose it can't be any worse than being a wallflower."

"Oh, I assure you it will not be," he chuckles, before holding out his arm towards her. Jane stares at it in confusion for a moment, before it dawns on her that he's offering it to her and she takes it. She allows him to lead her through the crowd, surprised at the wide break they're being offered by the other guests. She'd had to practically fight her way through to get to the bar earlier.

As they exit the doors of the large building (Jane assumes that it is a home, as the gates at the front of the property were opened and she was fairly certain there was a mailbox when they'd pulled in earlier), her companion turns to the right. Jane makes small mental notes about the area around them, just in case she needs to get back in a rush, should anything unusual take place.

They walk in silence for a few minutes, and Jane is thankful for the cooler evening air. She's never been a fan of how hot a party can get, and her dress isn't making her feel any more comfortable in the building. She looks up at the man out of the corner of her eyes, but he is staring straight ahead. Turning her gaze back ahead of them as well, her eyes widen.

Lining the concrete pathway that the man has led them down are rows of flowers that look silver bathed in the moonlight. As they reach the end, Jane realizes that the ground has turned into gravelly dirt, and she has to be careful not to lose her footing. Her companion seems to be rather patient with her, which she's thankful for. Once she's confident with walking on the new surface, she looks around a little more, gasping at the sight of multiple kinds of flowers, each a muted—but beautiful—version of their usual color because of the moon. In the middle of the garden sits a white bench. Jane smiles. "Did you know this place was here?"

"Of course," he replies smoothly. "I do help take care of it, after all."

Jane's brow furrows. "You do? Do you work here at the house?"

"No," he chortles, "I live here. Most of the time, anyway."

"Oh," Jane replies, caught off guard. "So, then, the party . . ."

"Let us not speak of the party, as we're no longer a part of it currently, and we _did_ come out here to escape it," he says teasingly, and Jane finds herself unable to question him further on it as he leads them over to the bench, allowing her to sit down before taking a seat for himself. Jane looks around, her gaze lingering on each of the flowers as she sets her drink down next to her. "The flowers are beautiful."

"Yes, they were chosen by myself and Frigga, the woman of the house," he states calmly. "But I'm glad that you like them. They make for a nice calm place to come and think. That, and the view of the sky is wonderful out here."

Jane's eyes immediately shoot skyward, and not for the first time this evening she's shocked. He's right—the view of the stars is absolutely breathtaking from where they're sitting. "Wow, that's impressive . . ." _I really wish I had my telescope!_

"I specifically asked that there not be any artificial light sources placed out here, as it would merely take away from the sky," he says quietly, his own eyes searching the heavens. "Something about the evening sky is calming."

"I agree," Jane smiles, and sighs contently for the first time that day. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks so."

"As am I," he replies, and both of them grow silent as they stare up at the stars. It isn't long before Jane's hand shoots up and she's pointing at the sky. "Did you see that?"

"The shooting star? Of course," he smirks, "I'm not blind, you know."

Jane's face burns bright red again, "Right. I'm just not used to anyone else looking up with me . . . I don't get to see clear skies like this at home. Too many city lights."

"That's unfortunate. Everyone should take a moment every once in a while to appreciate more than what's right in front of them," he states, before smirking. "There's another one."

"Yeah, that doesn't happen very often," she says, her smile returning. "Thank you for bringing me out here, by the way."

"My pleasure," he responds. He looks back down, eyes scanning the garden before he turns to her. "It seems as though the music has followed us out here."

Jane's head tilts down and she realizes he's right; she can hear the music playing, albeit faintly, in the distance from the house. How had she missed that? "You're right."

"Of course I am," he teases. "However, I happen to actually like this song. Could I perhaps interest you in a dance?"

Jane turns to him and nearly jumps again as she realizes he's already standing. _He's really quick. _"I'm not exactly the best dancer, especially in heels."

"Hm, well, if that's the case, we could dance slowly. This particular number doesn't ask for a fast dance, anyway," he says, extending his hand to her. Jane looks up at him, her heart racing against her will, but she concedes and grabs his hand, allowing him to pull her up to him. He places one hand on her waist, keeping her other one enclosed in his. Jane places her free hand on his shoulder, hoping that she's not making a fool of herself as she begins to sway with him to the rhythm of the music.

"You aren't nearly as bad as you made yourself out to be. I was expecting to wake up in the morning with blisters on my feet," he taunts, clearly entertained with himself. "So, with whom, if I might ask, am I dancing with?"

Jane's pretty sure that her face is as red as it can possibly get at this point, and has never been more thankful that it's dark outside. Towards his question, she smiles softly. "I'm Jane. What about you? Who do I have the pleasure of not stepping on the toes of?"

He snickers a bit. "My name is Loki."

"That's a unique name," Jane replies thoughtfully. "It suits you, though."

"Oh? You don't even know what I look like," he smirks.

"Yes, well, you don't know what _I_ look like, either," she retorts, smirking for herself. "It's just as well, though. After all, that's what a masquerade ball is for, as someone once told me."

"Oh, is that so? This person sounds unequivocally wise," he responds, before twirling them a bit in time with the song. Jane giggles a little, both from amusement and because she was genuinely enjoying his company. She couldn't remember being this content in a man's presence—and a stranger's, no less.

"I hope your evening has livened up a little bit," Loki states suddenly, looking down at her. Jane is stunned at how vibrant his eyes look, even in the moonlight. She smiles up at him. "It has, actually. I hope yours has, too."

"Your company has been significantly more enjoyable than anyone's in that awful room," he states, his tone light.

Jane smiles, "I'm glad to hear it."

The two grow silent, although the silence doesn't bother Jane for once. They continue dancing to the song, and neither of them bothers mentioning when the song changes to a different one, or when that one fades into the next.

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><p><em>AN: Okay! That's the end of chapter one. Hope you liked it! Things will progress a bit slow at the beginning, but expect for lots more Lokane in the future, but not always as fluffy, muahaha. Jane has no idea what just meeting someone can do to throw off a paved path!  
><em>

_Please Review! It keeps my motivation up!_


	2. The Conference

_A/N: _Hey, I'm back with a relatively quick update! Thank you to everyone who stopped in to read, favorite, and review! This chapter was a ridiculous amount of fun to write, haha. It was originally supposed to go in a completely different direction, but as we know, stories can tend to take on a life of their own. I hope you guys enjoy it! Please review, as it keeps my motivation up!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Marvel, nor any characters within. This story is written for purely entertainment purposes.

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><p>xXxXxXx<p>

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><p>Jane crushes her palm against her forehead, trying for the umpteenth time to get rid of this blasted headache. It appeared out of nowhere about two hours ago, and everything she's tried from aspirin to rubbing her temples hasn't eased it in the slightest, and it's getting to the point where she's considering just going home.<p>

Unfortunately, she can't do that, as she's currently on break from the first of a two-day conference that's mandatory for her to attend if she wants to continue to receive funding from Stark Industries. They'd been offered an hour long lunch break, and for the most part, she's spent it listening to Darcy's continuation of what she'd been up to at the party two nights prior. Jane glances up at her friend, whose day-dreamy smile is ever present on her face, as it has been since they'd gotten home (exhausted) from the party.

"—and he's gorgeous, dances great, and damn, I _really _wish I'd gotten his number," Darcy sighs, resting her chin in her palm. She turns her gaze on Jane, really seeing her for the first time since they'd sat down. She raises a brow. "You alright?"

Jane shrugs noncommittally, "yeah, just tired. My head is splitting."

"I have some aspirin in my bag somewhere."

Jane shakes her head, knowing that if she were to accept the offer, it would require Darcy to dump _everything_ out of her bag in an attempt to locate it, and she reminds herself that no one ever wants to see that. "No thanks, I already took some."

"Suit yourself," Darcy mutters, before leaning back in her chair. "Now, since we have some spare time, and you've listened to _me_ talk about the party, why don't you tell me what _you_ did while you were there?"

Jane is glad she isn't drinking anything at this particular moment, because she guarantees she'd have spit it out. She looks at Darcy as though she's grown a second head. "What?"

Darcy smiles suspiciously. "Oh, c'mon, Jane! You've avoided talking about it since we got back! I know you're hiding something from me, so spill."

Jane wills her face not to go bright red. "I'm not hiding anything, Darcy. Besides, you were the one who ditched _me_, so it's not like you have any right to information when you dragged me along to begin with."

"Bull," Darcy retorts. "Plus, Anna said she saw you come back inside—from _outside_—with a guy!"

Jane rolls her eyes. "Coming back inside would kind of _require_ you to be outside first, Darcy."

"Stop getting technical," Darcy groans, sticking her tongue out at her friend. "Now spill the beans! Nothing ever exciting happens with you!"

Jane's brow furrows. "Hey, that's not true! Lots of exciting things happen with me."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Darcy challenges, staring the woman down. Jane fidgets, trying to think of something. _Am I really that boring?_

"Ladies, the hour is up," Erik Selvig, Jane's other colleague and occasional mentor (whom she has regrettably not seen in forever before this—she really needs to work on that) pokes his head into the small break room they'd huddled up in. He smiles at the two. "It's time to listen to this guy drone on a little longer."

Jane smiles, at least partially because he's just saved her a significant hassle, as she climbs to her feet and heads in his direction. She gives Erik a quick, appreciative hug, before gesturing to Darcy. "Come on, Darcy, let's get moving. We don't want to be the last to arrive again."

Darcy rolls her eyes, getting up and walking over to them. As they turn to follow Erik back to the conference room, Darcy leans over to Jane, whispering in her ear conspiratorially, "this isn't over."

Jane groans.

xXxXxXx

"I thought that old geezer would never shut up! I swear, if we're required to go to any more of these things after tomorrow, I'm quitting. Screw the college credits," Darcy complains, kicking at air defiantly as she and Jane make their way towards their hotel. Jane's not looking forward to being stuck in a hotel for the next two nights—these kinds of conferences weren't her cup of tea at _all_—but she was thankful that she and Darcy had separate rooms, at least.

It's the small things in life that one has to appreciate. Jane has to keep reminding herself of this.

"Well, at least there's only one more day of it," Jane replies, looking up towards the sky. It was starting to grow dark, but she was sure the lights from the city would block out the stars. It seemed like, no matter where she went, she could never get a decent view.

"Yeah, one day too many if you ask me," Darcy mutters, before turning and sauntering towards the hotel, only to freeze halfway. "No. Freaking. Way."

Jane looks back down, raising a brow at the sight of the woman who was standing in place. "What?"

"There's a bar on our street! I don't know how I missed that earlier!" Darcy squeals excitedly, looking back at her friend pleadingly. "C'mon Jane, let's go check it out!"

"No, absolutely not," Jane replies sharply. "We have the rest of the conference tomorrow, and showing up hungover will do us no good."

"_Please_!" Darcy begs, clasping her hands in front of her. "Please, please, _please_! I promise I won't ask for anything ever again!"

"I don't believe you," Jane states, crossing her arms. "Look, I'm not going no matter how much you beg. Someone has to keep up professional appearances tomorrow. If you want to go, that's fine. But don't you dare show up smashed, got it?"

Darcy's eyes lit up with excitement, rushing over and enveloping Jane in a hug. "Best boss ever!"

Jane's brain was still processing what the woman had said before she was out of sight entirely. Shrugging, Jane makes her way down the last strip of sidewalk towards the hotel, praying that her intern doesn't get herself killed. _Well_, she figures, _at least she knows where the hotel is . . ._

Jane strides through the lobby towards the elevator, nearly squeaking with delight when she finds it empty. She steps inside, pressing the button to the twelfth floor, leaning against the back and bracing herself for the ride—she's never been comfortable in small spaces—as the doors begin to shut. She breathes in, watching as the last bit of the door goes to close, only for a pale, slender hand to suddenly materialize out of nowhere. Jane stares at it in confusion, but before she can gather her thoughts, the doors begin to open again. She watches as a tall, lean man steps into the elevator, and she can't help but feel as though she's shrunk significantly in his presence. She swallows hard, praying it wasn't obvious, standing up straighter with a severe case of déjà vu.

The man walks over and presses the button for the eleventh floor before stepping back, now standing almost parallel with Jane. Jane stares ahead for a long moment, listening to the ding of the elevator, before glancing at her companion out of the corner of her eye. He's wearing a suit, and from what Jane can tell, he's _definitely_ pulling it off. She quickly looks up at the number again, feeling her face heat up at the inappropriate thought. _Damn, we're only on the fourth floor!_

She does her best to keep focused on the numbers on the door, she really does, but before they've even reached the sixth floor, she's glancing at the man out of the corner of her eye again. This time, her gaze wanders a little higher, noticing lengthy black hair that's slicked back in a ponytail, although she briefly noted that it didn't appear obnoxious. She examines sharp facial angles, but the man didn't appear gaunt despite it. She starts to raise her eyes to his, but as the man shifts, she quickly turns back ahead.

"Business or pleasure?"

Jane jumps at the sound of the man's voice. It's so smooth that she temporarily wonders whether she'd imagined it. She clears her throat. "W-what?"

"Are you visiting New Jersey for business, or for pleasure?"

Jane draws her hands together in front of her, willing her gaze to lock on the line holding the doors together. This conversation feels awkwardly familiar despite the fact that she's pretty sure she's never participated in such a cliché topic. "Oh, I'm here for business. I don't typically come to cities like this."

"I see," he responds, although he never turns towards her. Jane waits to see if he's going to add anything else, but when he remains silent, she glances at him again. "What about you?"

He allows the silence to stretch, and just as Jane is about to give up on expecting an answer, she hears him draw in a breath. "I'm here for business as well. I don't particularly like this place, so it wouldn't be my ideal stop for a vacation."

Jane nods, sighing quietly to herself. That certainly didn't invite a response. Why did she always seem to get stuck in "conversations" with the least conversational people? She glances at the number again. Eighth floor. _So close._

She's trying so hard at this point not to fidget. _Come on, Jane, now is _not_ the time to start getting back into old habits! Separate your hands before you start picking your nails! Darcy would scold you if you messed up the manicure she insisted you let her give you!_

Jane starts picking at her nail on principal, as her intern would have been here to break up the tension if she hadn't been so busy _going to a bar_! She's also pretty sure that elevators have never taken this long before. She glances up at the number again. Ninth floor. _Damn it_.

Her companion is stone-cold. Or, at least, it seems that way. He's still staring ahead, and Jane wonders if there's something on the door that she didn't notice before. Something remarkably interesting—something _obviously_ more interesting than talking to her. Oh God, did that mean Darcy was right? Was she really that boring?

Jane wishes that she could just slap some sense into herself right now without looking stupid for doing so. Her claustrophobia was getting to her, she told herself. She wishes that taking the stairs would have been better, but experience has taught her not to take stairs unless she absolutely has to. _Tenth floor. One to go_.

"Are you alright?"

Jane forces herself not to jump again. She looks at the man, fully this time, and sees that he's eyeing her out of the corner of _his_ eye this time. She nearly stammers at the sight of a beautiful hazel-green eye, at a loss for words. The man raises a brow at her as if her silence is a prompt to continue. "You're breathing heavily."

Jane's eyes shoot straight ahead again. "I'm fine."

He chuckles, and Jane is pretty sure she's heard it before. The lights suddenly flicker in the elevator, and she all but jumps back into the far wall of the elevator. She breathes in deeply, but the elevator suddenly dings and she realizes that they've finally reached the eleventh floor. She sighs in relief as the man walks towards the opening doors. He looks back at her over his shoulder. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, I'm just not used to elevators," she lies. She just wants to get back to her room right now. He nods, stepping forward and releasing the door. She watches as the doors begin to close, although she can't seem to stop her eyes from focusing on the man. He turns suddenly, facing Jane fully, and she gasps as she gets a complete look at him. A sly smirk appears on his face, and Jane's brain refuses to allow her to say anything. He dips his head a bit, vivid eyes capturing hers as the door closes, her heart hammering in her chest.

"Have a good evening."

His smooth voice washes over her in a way that nearly makes Jane uncomfortable. She wonders if she's seeing things, because if she didn't know better, that man looked just like the man at the masquerade party (Loki, wasn't it?).

She shakes her head as the elevator dings again. She hadn't even realized she'd been moving again, but steps off of the elevator regardless once the doors are open and heads towards her room. She runs a hand through her hair, collapsing on the bed once her shoes are no longer restricting her feet. She stares up at the ceiling, a million and one thoughts racing through her head.

_There's just no way_. _It couldn't have been him!_

She groans, pressing the heels of her hands against her eyes once more as the headache from earlier threatens to spark up again. She decides to push all thoughts of her strange elevator encounter aside as she gets up to locate more aspirin and change into pajamas.

She finds herself lying in bed a half an hour later, pulling the blankets up and around her as she closes her eyes in search of sleep. She breathes in deeply, forcing herself not to think about the day ahead of her.

Still, as she drifts off into slumber, a pair of hazel-green eyes haunts her memory, a hint of amusement glimmering in them mischievously.

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><p><em>AN: There you go! Hope you enjoyed it! Writing Jane's little panic attack in the elevator was more fun than I should probably admit, haha. Please review and let me know what you think! _


	3. The Guest

_A/N:_ Man, my Muse is on a roll as far as kicking my butt into gear! I'm not complaining, though, because I'm always excited when I can churn out a new chapter in a timely fashion. I'm going to be bouncing between this fic and my other Lokane one, _Inequitable Love_, so no worries, both will be updated! Thank you so much to everyone that has reviewed so far, it's definitely been helping to keep me in the writing spirit! So, without further delay, enjoy some Lokane-ness!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Marvel nor any character herein. This story is for purely entertainment purposes.

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><p>Jane strides down a hallway, regrettably <em>away<em> from her new favorite location in the building the conference is being held at: the small break room she and Darcy had found the day before. Erik is walking along next to her, coffee in hand and talking about how uneventful the meeting has been thus far.

"I don't know, I just feel like if we were forced to attend this, it should have been made a bit more interesting," Erik states conversationally, waving his free hand to emphasize his point. "We've spent a day and a half listening to the description of finances that we're all fully aware of, plans they want to put into the making that, quite frankly, have _nothing_ to do with either of _our_ departments, and to top it all off, the man we're forced to listen to just drones on and _on_. We may as well be attending college again."

Jane chuckles softly to herself, unable to really argue any of her colleague's points. "I suppose this is meant to equal some kind of a vacation for us," she shrugs, as though she really believes this herself. She doesn't, but that's beside the point.

"Perhaps," Erik laughs, before looking at Jane curiously. "I noticed that your intern seems to be MIA today. Is everything alright?"

Jane sighs in exasperation, switching her own coffee to her other hand. It was true; Darcy hadn't shown up at all this morning. Jane knows she's probably just still passed out in her room with a major hangover, but the fact still remains that her intern left her all alone at this meeting.

Well, with the exception of Erik, but even he only provides so much entertainment for such an occasion. At least she hadn't had to take the lunch by herself. As much as Jane enjoys her private time, there is only so many times that you can play with the apps on your phone before you get bored to tears. She nods to Erik. "She's fine. She probably partied a little too heavily last night. Besides, it's not like she's the one that really needs to retain this information, especially as I already know everything that's being discussed. It's as though the people setting up the speeches don't realize that emails get sent out to everyone with this information already in them."

Erik laughs again, shaking his head. "Oh, Jane, I'm glad to see you doing so well. It's been far too long. We'll have to see if we can't meet up more often, but obviously under better circumstances."

Jane beams up at her former mentor. "I'd really like that. I can't say a whole lot has really changed, but it would be nice to get to see you more often, Erik."

Erik nods, turning a corner and sighing as the door at the other end of the hall shows itself. "I'm still curious as to whom this new speaker is supposed to be."

"It's not a new speaker, Erik," Jane laughs. "We're not _that_ lucky. It's just supposed to be some guest is all."

"So just another waste of a plane ticket," Erik sighs, running a hand through his hair. The duo stops at the door to the room, and Jane smiles up at Erik. "Well, here goes nothing. Do you think we can make it through?"

"Well, if not, I have a sharpie we can draw eyeballs onto our eyelids with," Erik jokes, before turning and stepping through the door, heading towards the seat he'd occupied earlier. Jane follows, ending up in her chair a few seats away from him. She situates all of her papers and notes (not that she's had need of any of her supplies, but at least it looks nice), before leaning back in her chair as she takes a sip of her coffee, looking up.

Jane chokes.

Standing at the front of the conference room, which Jane is still pretty sure looks more like a college classroom, is a _very_ familiar tall man. He's talking to the short-by-comparison man who's been leading the conference from the beginning, his posture relaxed enough to show that he's completely in his element, and Jane begrudgingly notes that he's wearing another suit.

Why did the universe hate her so much? What had she ever done?

She quickly ducks her head, running through all of the reasons that this shouldn't have been possible, and trying to think of any wrongdoings that could have brought her to this particular moment. She shouldn't have gone out partying with Darcy when she could have been doing work; that must've been it. The universe was calling her out for slacking on her job. She groans softly, sinking in her chair. Maybe, just _maybe_, he won't notice her.

Besides, she isn't _positive_ that it's him, right? Right. She'd just assumed last night that it was the masked man because he happened to have a lot of similarities. She was just imagining it, most likely, because the world didn't actually work like that. People don't just show up at a party and then appear in someone else's life all the time for no reason.

Yep, just one big coincidence. That was it.

"Hello, everyone, and thank you very much for attending this meeting," states a voice suddenly, pulling Jane out of her thoughts.

She looks up again, staring at the man whose attention is now on the people in the room he's addressing. He looks sharp and she briefly notes that he almost has a predator's eye—always watching, but with a smile that puts just enough ease into someone to keep them calm right before the kill. If possible, Jane sinks lower in her seat. He has an accent, and she's got a feeling that things are about to get a _lot_ more awkward.

"I certainly hope you all have enjoyed the accommodations that have been provided to you, and it's an honor to stand here in your presence," he continues with that same professional, calm tone. "I'm the guest speaker, as I'm sure you've already gathered. My name is Loki Odinson, and as my namesake would suggest, I am a member of the same Odinson family that is investing in the scientific research portion of Stark Industries. We are very excited to see the results that have been brought about since we offered our assistance, and . . ."

Jane loses track of what this man is saying, because he's _said_ it. He said his name. _Oh my god, it _**is**_ him. I'm dying. No, I'm dead. I died, and this is where I've ended up. This is some sick, messed up joke . . . _

Loki, the same Loki that she'd met—at the party she wasn't supposed to even attend! She refuses to let herself forget this—just so happened to be a part of the _biggest_ investor in her research. They'd shared a dance, been on an elevator together, and this all seems to be one hell of a _coincidence_. Jane's mouth has gone dry, and she's _so_ beyond lost as far as how she's even supposed to react to this situation.

So, she does what any person losing their sanity would do.

She brings her shoes quietly together under the table and taps them three times, reciting her favorite line from The Wizard of Oz, because what does she have to lose?

It doesn't help her feel better that she's pretty sure her face has turned beet red with no logical explanation if anyone should ask her about it.

She doesn't think he's noticed her yet, and she glances at the door and wonders briefly how quickly she could make it to the door in a stealthy manner. She throws aside the idea fairly fast, though, seeing as she knows damn well there's no way she'll ever be able to pull off a stealthy escape with her klutzy history.

So, Jane settles for picking at her nails and fiddling with her hair that she's suddenly self conscious of because it's not in her usual ponytail. She refuses to acknowledge that it might because the man who she's run into three times now is ridiculously good looking in a suit, and her mind won't shut up about their dance. She groans softly to herself, glancing up for a moment to see him still talking casually, as if speaking with a friend instead of addressing an entire room full of adults. Jane notices how everyone seems to be paying close attention to everything that he says, including the man who'd spoken before him (although she snickers internally as she sees a bit of jealousy on his face—that's what you get when all you do is speak in monotone!).

Jane forces herself to sit upright in her chair and steels her resolve. Well, fine, she's not going to find a way out of this. She can accept that. But there was no way she's going to hide in the back of the room and brood over this fact without at least finding out why he's here.

No, she's going to hide in the back of the room, brooding, while listening to his speech that's adorned with a rather deep British accent.

xXxXxXx

Jane knows she'd be lying if she said she knew even half of what Loki had said during his part of the speech. In reality, she'd continuously gotten distracted by his appearance, and how eloquently he'd spoken. She huffs at herself in frustration as she follows Erik towards the lobby of the building that the meeting was held in, throwing away the cup of coffee they'd stopped to grab on the way out. Her irritation grows as she gets a look at the windows, watching as rain pours down the panels of glass.

Fan_tastic_.

"Oh dear, that's not good," Erik frowns, realizing the same thing that Jane has. He turns to her. "Did you bring an umbrella?"

"No," she sighs, running a hand through her hair. She turns to her former mentor, offering him the biggest smile she can muster despite the current events. "It's all right, though. The hotel is within walking distance, so I can make it."

Erik's brow furrows at her. "Are you sure? I was just going to go get some food. I can walk you to the hotel first."

"No, really Erik, it's fine. I promise," she replies, a genuine smile lighting up her face this time. "I appreciate it, though."

Erik smiles back at her, before pulling her into a warm hug. "It's good to see you doing so well, Jane. We'll have to make sure it doesn't take so long next time to meet up."

Jane laughs at the not-so-subtle reminder, reciprocating the hug. "Definitely, Erik. Now, go get some food."

Erik releases her with a chuckle, and then walks with her outside. They wave goodbye to each other before turning to go in separate directions. Jane shuffles along, cursing her dress shirt for being so flimsy and offering her absolutely no warmth. At least, she thinks, she didn't wear white. She wraps her arms around herself as the rain falls heavier, and she finally gives up and makes a mad dash for the hotel, not caring anymore if she looks like a madwoman running through the streets of New Jersey.

She's forced to endure more of the torrential downpour as a crosswalk takes forever to allow her a chance to cross, and she scowls at the light as it finally shows the walk symbol. A crack of lightning brightens up the sky against the dark clouds and she shrieks a little in surprise, growing more nervous than ever. She curses as she rounds the corner to her hotel, offering the bar Darcy had abandoned her for a heavy glare as she passes it, too, just for good measure. The rain is cold, as it's getting close to winter but isn't quite there yet.

She shivers heavily as she finally makes it through the lobby of the hotel, sighing in relief. Thank _God_.

She makes her way to the elevator, watching as it begins to slowly close. She groans, feeling as if the world was determined to stop her from being able to take a hot shower and a chance to just relax. She hurries her feet along, hollering a, "hold the elevator, please!" in a last ditch effort to get some control over things again.

She could cry as a hand grabs one of the doors and stops them from being able to shut all the way. She quickly scrambles inside, hearing the sound of the door closing behind her as she rubs her hands against her arms, trying not to allow herself to panic as the lights flicker briefly. "Thank you."

"My pleasure," drawls a partially amused voice. "Twelfth floor, I'm assuming?"

Jane's eyes widen and she slowly turns to look at the corner of the elevator she hadn't been able to see immediately upon entering. _No, it's not possible . . ._

Sure enough, standing there with his hand leaning against the wall of the elevator, dampened hair, and a smug smirk, stands one ridiculously tall _Loki Odinson_.

Jane's heart clenches and all she can do is nod dumbly for the moment. How was this even possible? She'd left the conference room before him, so there was no way he could have—Jane froze, realization dawning on her. _He must have left while Erik and I were getting fresh coffee . . ._

"Are you all right? You appear as though you might have seen a ghost," he states curiously, his smirk ever present on his face, and Jane notices that he hasn't pressed any of the buttons on the elevator, but the button for the twelfth floor is already lit up. She eyes him suspiciously.

"I thought you were on the eleventh floor."

Loki looks at the buttons next to him as if seeing them for the first time. He makes a curious humming noise, before turning back to her. "No, I'm on the twelfth as well, actually. Have been since yesterday morning, last I checked," he replies offhandedly, as if it's no big deal. Jane realizes that it probably _isn't_ a big deal to him—but that didn't make this any less weird.

She turns around fully to face him, leaning back to grab the rail that lined the wall of the elevator to steady herself against the movement of the machine. She clears her throat, unsure of what to say now. Could her life get any stranger?

"So, if you _are_ on the twelfth floor, why did you stop at the eleventh yesterday?" she asks, trying not to sound overly suspicious, and failing miserably. _God, Jane, why don't you just ask him what room number he's in, too? _

Loki turns his attention to his nails, and Jane can't help but notice how long and thin his fingers are—almost like artists' hands, she thinks. She quickly focuses back on his face, swallowing hard. Somehow this felt _way_ more awkward than the day before, and the elevator is still moving as slowly as she remembered. They're only on the fifth floor.

"I had something I need to take care of," he comments finally, and he tosses her a sidelong glance, "and so I did. It's good to see that you made it out of the elevator yesterday despite your condition when I saw you last. I was concerned, as you appeared to be suffering from malaise, or something similar."

"Um, yeah," Jane responds awkwardly, not sure how to react to the sudden shift of topic. "I'm just not a fan of tight spaces."

"Would not a set of stairs be more efficient, then?"

"Not exactly," she says with a sigh. "It's the equivalent of walking down a dark tunnel for me. Elevators are faster, so I take them."

"Hm," he hums, before looking up at the top of the elevator as the lights flicker again. Jane thinks she sees a small twinge of a frown on his face, but it's gone as fast as it appeared as he turns back to her. "So, I see you're an employee of Stark Industries."

Jane's eyes widen as she stares at him. She could have sworn he hadn't looked at her once during his entire speech! As she's about to say this, he points at her, his smirk returning. "Your name badge, it says the name of the company on it. Am I incorrect?"

Jane looks down at the offending object and smiles awkwardly. Good, he hadn't noticed her then. She nods to him. "No. You're right, I work for them. You just caught me off guard."

"I suppose it would be strange to have someone suddenly know where you work," he chuckles, before standing up straight and walking towards her. She stiffens, partially because he's actually coming closer, and also because she's jealous that he can actually move in the elevator. He extends his hand to her as she glances at the floor number they're on. Nine. She quickly focuses back on him and once more notices how green his eyes are. He offers her a smile, and she feels once more like she's under a predator's gaze.

"Since we seem to keep running into one another," he says, his tone pleasant, "my name is Loki, Loki Odinson."

Jane nods, reaching out slowly to grasp his hand and offer it a shake. It's cool, but not uncomfortably so, and she can't help but think how easily it engulfs hers. She swallows the lump that's suddenly decided to form, offering him a strained, nervous smile. "I'm Jane, Jane Foster."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he says, and Jane realizes that they haven't dropped each others' hands yet. Part of her wants to break the contact—this is all still so _very_ bizarre—but she is also frozen in her spot. She's about to open her mouth to say something in return to his statement, but before she can, the elevator creaks and the lights flicker. Her brow furrows and she looks up at the number again. It's on eleven.

The elevator jerks heavily all of a sudden, jarring both Jane and Loki, causing them to break apart. Jane catches a slightly alarmed look in Loki's eyes, sure that her own are blazing with the terror she's feeling.

The lights flicker once more before going out entirely.

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><p><em>AN:_

_Yes, yes, I am aware that I am evil and that cliffhangers are a cruel form of punishment. But, alas, it is necessary! I apologize for any mistakes, as I am exhausted from a crazy week of work and helping friends move, plus this is still my first current-time story that I've written, haha. Anyway, please read and review, as it helps to keep my motivation up! Thank you!_


	4. The Elevator

_A/N:_ Hey guys, I'm back! Not that I really went anywhere, I just got a bit of writer's block with this story. No worries, though, because I'm back and I've officially got this story mapped out all the way to the end. It's gonna be awesome! I hope you all agree!

Thank you to everyone that has reviewed, favorited, and followed this story up to this point! I hope the wait has been worth it! Please continue to review, because it keeps my motivation up and helps updates come faster!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Marvel nor any characters herein. This story is written for purely entertainment purposes.

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><p><em>No, no, no!<em> This absolutely is _not_ happening, and it _especially_ is not happening to Jane. She gasps, pressing her body hard into the wall of the elevator now that she's finally found it again. She's practically panting, straining her eyes to see in the pitch blackness that's surrounding her. She hears Loki clear his throat.

"Hm, well, this is most . . . unfortunate. Are you all right, Ms. Foster?"

Jane makes a surprised noise that resembles a squeak, but she's too scared to care. She'd honestly almost forgotten about Loki's presence, but now that he's jogged her memory, she's finding herself even _more_ terrified. She's trapped on an elevator with a man she knows nothing about, for crying out loud!

"You need to try to calm down. I can hear your breathing, and if you continue panicking like that you're going to cause yourself to hyperventilate," Loki states, and Jane silently curses him for sounding so calm in the face of peril. She hears fabric rustling, but can't pinpoint its location in the darkness.

"Hold on," Loki mutters, before a sudden, small light appears right in front of Jane. She stares at it, her eyes taking a moment to adjust and realize that it's his cell phone. She also notes that he's standing about six inches away from her, but she pushes that concern aside for the more prevalent information: he's the one with the light. She stares hopefully at it. "Do you have signal?"

Loki looks at the phone intently, brushing his thumb across the screen for a moment. She can see concentration lines on his face, which is lit up by the small screen. He frowns. "No, I don't," he sighs, looking over at her. His frown deepens as he watches her expression begin to grow horrified again, and he quickly focuses once more on the screen. "I can't call anyone, but I'm sure they've figured out that the elevator isn't working."

Jane's trying to regain control of her breathing as she inhales deeply and exhales slowly. _I can do this. I can do this. It's just an elevator. Just a small, dark, scary elevator . . . _

"You're breathing heavily again. Slow down," Loki says, and Jane breathes in sharply again. She groans. "What do we _do_? If the power is out, how can they know there's even anyone on here? How do we get off of this thing?"

"Ms. Foster?"

"What if we're stuck here all night?!"

"_Ms. Foster_."

"We can't be stuck on an elevator all night!"

"Ms. Foster . . ."

"What if air can't get in here? There's a chance we could suffoca—"

"_Jane_!"

Jane gasps, her focus immediately turning back to Loki, whose expression is one of exasperation. He raises a brow at her. "Are you quite through?"

Jane stares at him wide-eyed, nodding slowly. She knows she's panicking, and she's really trying not to, but she's _terrified_. She watches as Loki holds up his phone.

"I have a nearly full battery, so we'll at least have a light source for our predicament," he states seriously, looking back down at the object. He presses a few buttons on the screen, and Jane watches as the phone's flashlight function turns on. She sighs, thankful for technology now more than ever as he points the light up, setting the phone down on the floor. It's not much, but at least the elevator isn't in complete darkness anymore.

"Now, to address your other concern," Loki suddenly says, pulling Jane's attention away from the phone once more. "It's very unlikely that we would suffocate in an elevator, even if the power has gone out. There are still ways for air to get in."

Jane swallows hard, looking around at the four walls that are entrapping them. She pulls her arms around herself, an unexpected shiver running through her. _Of course this had to happen while I'm freaking soaked to the bone . . . _

Drawing in a deep breath, she reaches down and pulls her own phone out of her pocket, a small bit of hope pulling at her heart that maybe, _maybe_ she'll have signal. As she examines the dim screen, she frowns deeply as she realizes that she, in fact, does _not_ have signal, and that her phone's battery life isn't very promising either. She turns on the flashlight app, anyway, eager to have as much light as possible in the elevator.

"I'm assuming that your expression means you don't have any signal, either?"

Jane shakes her head at Loki as she puts the phone face-down on the ground, then sits down on the floor beside it. She's doing her best to keep herself together, and is pretty sure that she'll lose it again if she tries to speak. She feels tears beginning to form at the corner of her eyes, and is only distracted from it as she hears her companion moving. Willing herself not to start crying on the spot, she slowly looks up at the man.

He's pulling his coat off, and she flinches a little bit in surprise as he extends it out towards her. He's so tall that the light from the phones lying on the floor barely reaches his face, so she can't quite make out his features, but she musters up as close to a smile as she can as she reaches up and takes the coat from him. "Thank you."

Despite her mental curses about how tiny her voice sounds, he merely nods and takes a seat on the ground near her, although not too close to make her overly uncomfortable. She shifts so that she can pull the coat on around her blouse, and is thankful to find that despite the coat's partially damp outside, the inner lining is dry and warm from being worn. She pulls it tight around her, trying to ignore how good it smells.

They sit in silence for a few minutes, and Jane finds that the warmth of the coat and the dim lighting from the phones is helping to calm her nerves more than she would have thought. She allows her eyes to drift over to the other elevator occupant, only to realize that he's already looking at her. Her brow furrows. "What?"

"My apologies," he says, and Jane is again caught off guard by his formality. "I was merely ensuring that your breathing had returned to normal. While I'm aware of how to handle panic attacks, I'm not sure there would have been very much I could have done in this particular situation should you have had one. How are you feeling?"

Drawing in another deep breath, Jane shifts a little to look at him easier. "I'm a little bit better, I guess. I just . . . I _really_ hate small spaces . . ."

"I'm aware that this is probably the last place you would want to be, then," he supplies. "It's not exactly my cup of tea, either, to be honest. I will say that I'm thankful I'm not alone, however."

_Yeah, you are _definitely_ that guy from the party. If your name wasn't enough, I don't think there's anyone else in existence who talks like you,_ she thinks decisively, leaning back against the wall of the elevator. She's beginning to find herself calming down, and she quickly pushes the thought aside, afraid that she'll revert if she gives it too much thought. "Yeah, me too, I guess."

Loki stares at her for a long moment, and Jane shivers some as a strand of wet hair brushes her cheek. She reaches up and tucks it behind her ear, then draws her arms in on herself. _Why does this kind of thing have to happen to _me_? As if things weren't already frustrating enough . . ._

"Well, seeing as we have no cellular signal, as well as a significant lack of television or source of entertainment, perhaps we could talk for a bit to pass the time," he suggests finally, leaning his shoulder against the wall of the elevator. "What do you think?"

"You're talkative, aren't you?" Jane asks, only to mentally cringe. Why was she being so rude to him?

"Not particularly," he states offhandedly. "I just figure there's not much else to do in here. I don't want to move my phone because the light seems to be assisting your mental state. I can easily remain silent, if that's what you would prefer."

Jane frowns. "No, you're right. I'm sorry. I'm not trying to be mean, I just get tense when I'm anxious . . . We can talk if you want. It would probably be a good distraction, anyway."

He nods, looking down at the phones for a moment before turning his eyes back on her. "Very well, then. Is there anything in particular you wish to speak of?"

_Why were you at that masquerade party? Why were you at the meeting? Is it all a coincidence? Do you recognize me? _"No, nothing in particular . . . How about you?"

She hears him chuckle for a moment, and then he's silent as he ponders over his options. "You agreed to the fact that you work for Stark Industries earlier, right?"

"Yes," she replies, wondering where he's planning to go with this. Most people, she figures, would have probably started their odd game of Twenty Questions with _what's your favorite color_? But then again, this guy doesn't exactly fit into the criteria of normal people.

"You also stated that you were here for business-related reasons. So, that being the case, may I ask what business-related reasons you are here for?"

"There was a conference that was being held during the past two days that was mandatory for me to attend," Jane answers, wondering where he's going with this considering _he_ had also been there. "My intern and I are both here, but she wasn't feeling well today, so she skipped the meeting."

"Ah," he nods. "I thought I recognized you from earlier. I didn't want to come off as strange by suddenly asking you if you'd been at the meeting, though."

Jane smiles awkwardly. Of _course_ he'd noticed her. She really shouldn't be surprised at this point. "Right, you were the guy who was the guest speaker today, weren't you?"

"Yes," he agrees, although Jane isn't sure if it's a friendly response or an obligatory one. "Hopefully I wasn't a bore. You seemed to be a bit distracted during the presentation today."

"Oh, no, not at all," she says, waving her hand for extra emphasis. _Damn it._ "I was just worried about my intern. Your, uh, speech was great. Erik even said so."

"That's Erik Selvig, right?"

"Yeah, do you know him?"

"No," he replies, shaking his head. "I was given a list of the people who would be attending, and seeing as he was the only 'Erik' that was supposed to be there, I put two and two together. That's also partially why I didn't say anything about recognizing you before now. I didn't want to startle you."

_Riiight_, Jane thinks sarcastically, but she plasters a fake smile on her face anyway. "I appreciate it. I thought I recognized you from the meeting, too, actually. That's enough about work, though, don't you think? We've both probably had plenty of it today."

Loki smirks, nodding to her. Jane resists the urge to sigh in relief. She isn't sure she'd be able to answer any questions if he were to ask about anything he'd actually said during his speech, so she's glad to avoid the topic. She looks at him, trying to think of something that'll divert his attention even further from their prior conversation. "So, you were already here yesterday, right? What had you in New Jersey a day early?"

"Ah, that," he sighs. "I had other business to attend to. The Odinson family is branched out a little further than just scientific resources, and I was ensuring that the heir wasn't making a fool of himself during a different meeting that was being held."

_Oh, that's right. At the party you said you were doing the same thing,_ she thinks, biting her lower lip thoughtfully. "Do you have to do that a lot?"

"More than I'm content to admitting," he replies with an unamused grunt. "It's not my preferred activity to babysit a grown man, but it is what it is if I wish to be sure that the company will not drown once he takes it over."

"Don't companies typically hire teachers for that sort of thing?" Jane asks, genuinely curious. He shrugs a bit.

"One would think, but his father doesn't believe that. He thinks I can reign him in better than a glorified bodyguard," he smirks, although Jane thinks she detects an almost bitter tone to his voice. "He's probably correct, though, seeing that he's yet to make too large a fool of himself in public."

Jane smiles, but can't help wonder what his relationship to the Odinson family is, considering he has the same surname as them. _Maybe he's a cousin or something. I'll have to look into that later . . ._

"That sounds exhausting," she says, trying to keep her tone light. "You've got to have something you do in your spare time, then. Do you have any hobbies?"

"It is _quite_ exhausting," he chortles, before stopping to think for a moment. "Yes, I have a few. I enjoy reading from time to time, as well as occasionally sketching. There isn't much time for many other things."

"So, mostly things that allow you to be alone?" Jane asks, raising a brow at him. He smirks at her, the minimal light almost giving him a challenging appearance.

"You could say that. I do enjoy those opportunities when they arrive," he answers good-naturedly, before tilting his head at her. "What about yourself?"

Jane laughs a little. "Well, I don't know if most people would consider them to be hobbies, but I like to read books on astrophysics and stare up at the stars on especially clear nights. I also like looking into the new theories of wormholes that other scientists come up with and compare them to my own."

Loki lifts a brow at her this time. "Yet _I'm_ the one who has hobbies that allow me to be alone, hmm? Yours sound a bit more like your work, though, considering what I know of the department of Stark Industries I spoke with today."

Jane feels herself blush a little bit and reaches up to brush her hair back again, more out of habit than anything. "Well, my life _is_ my work, so I guess I tend to mix the two up. I can't say it hasn't been mentioned to me before by my intern."

Loki shakes his head, although Jane can tell it's with amusement this time. "I have a similar problem, so I can't judge you too harshly on the matter. It's good to meet someone with such passion, though. It makes me even more confident in the investment for your department."

Jane's pretty sure her blush is covering her entire face now. She ignores it as she smiles at him. "I'm glad to hear it. It's definitely appreciated," she states with sincerity. After a moment of silence, he's apparently decided it's time for a new topic.

"So, is there a Mr. Foster at home waiting for you to return to him? I'm sure he'll be interested to hear about your trip, considering the excellent story you'll have to tell once we get out of here."

Jane laughs louder than she feels is necessary, although she blames the acoustics in the elevator for making it seem that way. She clears her throat after a moment, shaking her head. "Oh, no, definitely not. I told you that my life is my work, right? It kind of takes away from the whole relationship aspect of it," she titters. "I don't mind, though, surprisingly enough. What about you? Any Mrs. Odinson? Children?"

"No, neither," Loki replies calmly, although his tone is still mildly amused. "Much like you, I find that my work life tends to pull me away from any kind of relationship that isn't professional. It allows for a more successful career, though."

"Well, aren't we just two peas in a pod then," Jane laughs, shaking her head. "Here I thought I was the only one who did that. I have something to prove Darcy wrong, after all."

Loki lifts a brow at her. "Darcy?"

"Oh, right. Darcy is the name my intern-slash-best friend," Jane smiles, astounded by the level of comfort that has washed over her despite the circumstances. "She's always saying that my life-style isn't healthy, but you make a prime example for why she's wrong. Look at you, you're smart, healthy, and successful. It'll be a good argument."

Chuckling, Loki tilts his head at her. "I appreciate the compliments. Hopefully it'll prove as good an argument as you say."

Jane smiles sheepishly, a little embarrassed that she's said all of that out loud. "Oh, I'm sure it will."

She finds her attention drawn away as the light from her phone suddenly disappears. Brow furrowing some, she reaches out and picks it up, sighing as she realizes that the battery has finally died, and she places it in her pocket. She looks up as she hears movement, and realizes that Loki's reaching out for his own phone. He slides it closer to Jane, and then moves so he's still within range of the light, leaning against the wall. Jane is thankful for the light, and is surprised that she's not more uncomfortable with his closer proximity. He's about a half a foot away from her now, but she allows herself to lean against the wall again, sighing a bit.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright," Jane smiles, looking over at him. "Thank you for helping to keep me so calm. Most people would have gotten fed up with me by now."

"Well, I'm quite known for my patience," he smirks, shrugging a bit. Jane still feels like that's a gesture that doesn't quite suit him. "I'm glad I was able to help you. Panicking doesn't fit you."

Jane's sheepish smile returns and she ducks her head a bit, unsure of why she's feeling so awkward. "Well, I'm glad someone thinks so. I—"

Both of them jump some as the lights in the elevator suddenly turn back on, and the whole thing begins to move again. Jane feels her heart rate accelerate, but she forces herself to stay as calm as possible as the _ding_ arrives, signaling their arrival on their floor. Jane sighs in relief as she sees Loki starting to get to his feet out of her peripheral vision, picking up his phone in the process. She turns to him, only to blink in surprise as she sees his hand extended towards her. She accepts it after a moment, allowing him to pull her to her feet. She smiles thankfully at him, noticing that his hair looks a little curlier than it had at the meeting. _Just how much product do you put in your hair to keep it slicked back so much that it looks straight?_

"Well, this has been a pleasure," he smirks, releasing her hand and stepping back a bit as the doors begin to open. Jane nods to him, before shifting her shoulders so she could get his jacket off of her. She held it out to him, smiling again. "Thank you for letting me use the jacket. It was nice and warm."

"It's no problem whatsoever," he replies, accepting the jacket and draping it over his arm. "I wouldn't want you to be cold, especially under these circumstances."

Jane chuckles lightly to herself before stepping out of the elevator, only to come face-to-face with a few staff members of the hotel.

"Oh God, there _were_ people in there! Ma'am, Sir, are you alright?" one of the bellhops asks, his eyes wide. Jane feels more than sees him as Loki steps out of the elevator behind her, clearing his throat. "We're fine. How did you know which floor the elevator was on?"

"We weren't sure," answers one of the maids. "The manager had a few people stationed on every floor just in case. I'm so, so sorry! What a horrific ordeal. Is there anything we can get you?"

"Could you inform your manager that the elevator light flickered yesterday? I'm not sure if that had anything to do with the elevator breaking down, but it would be good to have noted," Loki replies calmly. One of the other staff members quickly nods, reaching for a walkie-talkie device that's clipped to his belt.

"Of course. There was a power-outage throughout the hotel, but they'll be able to have someone set up a maintenance check on the elevator as soon as possible."

"Thank you," Loki states calmly, watching as the man presses the button to talk to someone on the other end of the device. The other staff members are watching their fellow employee, waiting to hear what's said.

Jane frowns, feeling a little claustrophobic again as she realizes she's trapped between these people and Loki. She swallows hard, before jumping a bit as she feels Loki's hand on her lower back. She turns to look, but stops as she feels Loki lean down to speak near her ear. "Go on, while they're distracted. I know you're probably still shaken up. I'll take care of them."

Jane feels him stand back up and turns to offer him a thankful nod. She quietly slips around the people at Loki's affirmation, and then makes her way quickly towards her room. Fumbling with the room key, she unlocks the door and goes inside, breathing heavily and forcing back the tears that are threatening to spill from the shock of the entire event.

She makes her way to the bathroom, turning on the water and getting in to take a hot shower, warming herself up further as she allows her brain to work through all of the emotions that had been pent up. She's still thankful for Loki's presence in the elevator, because if she'd been alone, she knew it would have been disastrous. He'd managed to keep her calm, and had even gotten her to laugh some, which was an impressive feat. With everything that had happened, she was _definitely_ going to be giving Darcy an earful when she saw her next, but until then, she just wanted to sleep.

Drying herself off and changing into pajamas, she walks over to the pants she'd tossed on the floor upon preparing for her shower. She grabs them up, reaching for the pockets to find her phone—only to freeze. Brow furrowing, she tries again, but still comes up short. Her phone isn't in her pockets, and her eyes widen as realization dawns on her.

_Damn! I must have accidentally put it in his jacket pocket instead of mine_! She dashes to her door, practically flinging it open as she looks down the hall. Frowning, she groans as she finds it empty, the occupants in front of the elevator now nowhere to be seen. She presses a hand to her face, silently cursing as she goes back into her room and closes the door. Great. After everything that's already happened, she's now missing her phone.

Well, it would have to be a matter for in the morning, she decides. She makes her way over to the nightstand, setting the alarm for seven. _Hopefully I can make it downstairs early enough to find out what room Loki is staying in before he leaves so I can get my phone back. Surely he'll have noticed it by now, but it isn't like I can just go knocking on every door until I find him_, she figures.

Crawling into the bed, she hikes the blanket up to her neck and buries her face in the pillow, trying to steady her mind long enough to actually get some sleep.

Her last thought as she finally drifts off is why she hadn't asked him about being at the masquerade party.

* * *

><p><em>AN: There you go! I hope it was worth the wait! Things are only going to get more fun from here, haha. Let me know what you guys think is going to happen! I love reading theories! _

_Please review, it helps me keep the motivation up to update faster! _


	5. The Phone

_A/N:_ Hey you guys! Here's an update to hopefully help curb your Monday blues, haha. Hopefully this lives up the expectations from the last chapter! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! You guys are awesome! The reviews are definitely helping me keep my motivation up for writing; you have no idea!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Marvel nor any characters herein. This story is written for purely entertainment purposes.

* * *

><p>xXxXxXx<p>

* * *

><p>The alarm begins blaring before Jane is prepared for it, and she groans as her fingers fumble over the nightstand, searching for the offending object. Once she's finally able to shut it off, she sits up, reaching for her phone out of habit. When she discovers its absence, she practically leaps out of bed as her memories come flooding back.<p>

She's out of her pajamas and into a pair of jeans, a white t-shirt, and a red hoodie in record timing. She remembers to grab her room key at the last minute, before dashing out of her room and down the hall towards the elevator. Ignoring the way her throat is tightening with nervousness as she presses the button, she waits for the doors to open, stepping inside once they've done so. She quickly pushes the button for the bottom floor, and then huddles in one of the corners of the elevator, watching the closing doors in the hopes that a slender hand will stop them and offer her phone back to her in a fancy British accent.

Unfortunately, the doors close without such a distraction, and Jane tries to focus on her breathing as the levels ding by, occasionally stopping to let other passengers on. She releases a sigh of relief as they finally reach the ground floor, ignoring the odd looks she's getting as she makes a bee-line for the front desk.

A tall, pretty blonde woman is standing behind the desk as Jane approaches it, appearing as though she's searching through papers. Feeling incredibly tiny again, she clears her throat, watching as the woman looks up from the papers. The blonde stares down at Jane through a pair of black-framed glasses. "Can I . . . _help_ you?"

"Um, yeah," Jane answers, suddenly feeling ridiculously awkward. How was she supposed to explain this to a complete stranger? "Is there a room here reserved under Odinson?"

The blonde—Kate, from what Jane can see of her nametag—rolls her eyes. "_Great_, another one. Look, I don't know who told you people that Thor Odinson is staying here, but I guarantee you that he's got no interest in _you_. Now, get out before I have the hotel security escort you out, understand?"

_Thor Odinson?_ Jane frowns, the name only sounding vaguely familiar. She holds up her room key after a moment, trying to find a better approach to this. "Wait, no, you don't understand. I'm a guest here, and I'm looking for a different Odinson—Loki, Loki Odinson."

Eyeing Jane's outfit suspiciously, Kate _tsks_ sarcastically before typing something on the computer. Humming thoughtfully as she examines the screen, she shrugs her shoulders. "There _was_ a Loki Odinson here, apparently, but it looks like he—and Thor, actually—checked out about two hours ago."

"Well, there goes my phone," Jane groans to herself, before nodding to the woman. "Thanks for your, uh, _help_."

"You're welcome. Have a nice stay," she replies, offering Jane the most plastic smile that she's ever seen in her life. Jane turns and walks away, barely even paying attention to the woman now that her answer's been given. She doesn't even really care that the woman was incredibly rude, because all she can think about is the fact that her phone could be anywhere at this point. Her heart sinks a bit as she presses a palm to her forehead, feeling a tension headache already building up.

_Damn it._

xXxXxXx

Dropping her bags in front of Darcy's door, Jane pounds on it _hard_. When she's met with silence, she bangs on it again, only to receive a muffled shout this time. She leans back, crossing her arms, and begins counting backwards from sixty.

As she reaches three, the door finally opens, revealing a disheveled Darcy. Fixing her glasses so they're sitting on her face properly, the dark-haired woman furrows her brow at Jane. "What _time_ is it?"

"Eight-thirty, now get dressed so we can grab something to eat before our flight."

"But check-out isn't even until eleven . . ."

"I don't care," Jane replies, making Darcy step back into the room as she shoves the door open, walking inside. Her intern stares at her in confusion as she drops her bags near the bathroom entrance, then walks inside and sits on the bed. Jane fixes Darcy with a stare. "I have too much to yell at you about, so you're not getting out of this."

Darcy holds up one of her hands defensively. "Hey, I did as you said—I didn't show up to the meeting smashed. You never said not to get so smashed that I couldn't attend."

Jane offers her a glare. "I guess _next_ time I'll just make sure you don't go at all, since you seem to think it's funny to skip out on meetings."

Sighing, Darcy walks over and picks up some of her clothes that are scattered on the floor. "All right, I know, it wasn't cool of me to ditch you like that. I was _really_ hungover and I didn't want to embarrass you. Plus I couldn't stand to listen to that guy talk anymore! I'm sorry, okay?"

Jane continues to glare at her for a few more seconds, but she finally breaks down and sighs. "_Fine_. I can't blame you too much, I guess. If I could have gotten out of it, I would have ditched it, too."

Darcy beams at her, tossing her clothes at her suitcase and making her way over to gather fresh clothes. "So, how'd it go? Anything interesting happen?"

"Yeah, you could say that," Jane sighs, settling back on the bed a little further. Noticing the unusual tone in her friend's voice, Darcy glances over at her, lifting a brow. "Oh? What happened? Did you meet someone?"

Ignoring the Cheshire-like smile on her intern's face, Jane shakes her head. "No, not like that. Do you remember how you were asking me about if I was with someone at the masquerade party?"

Now _definitely_ interested, Darcy turns to fully face Jane. "Yeah, why?"

"Well, I _was_—and before you ask, all we did was talk and dance," Jane states, huffing at her intern's crestfallen expression. Clearing her throat, she continues, "Anyway, at the meeting yesterday, we had our guest speaker attend, and I swear, Darcy, it was _him_."

Eyes widening, Darcy grins. "Really? That's awesome! Did he recognize you?"

"No, well, not from the masquerade, I don't think," Jane sighs. "Which is probably for the best, anyway, but that's not it."

Gesturing for Darcy to finish getting dressed so they can be on their way, Jane proceeds to explain everything that had happened, from the first elevator encounter to the way her night had ended the evening prior.

xXxXxXx

Darcy slings the her carry-on down on the ground in front of her chair, staring at Jane as she has been every time they stop to do something. Jane, growing fed up with this, glares at her. "_What_? Why do you keep staring at me like that?"

Darcy shrugs. "It's just so weird that this whole thing keeps happening to you. I mean, I'm not surprised that someone as obviously rich as he is would be at the masquerade party, but for him to turn out to be the same guy funding us is a little bit strange."

Jane nods, running her hand through her hair. "I know. It's definitely a _strange_ coincidence, but hopefully I didn't embarrass myself so bad that he decides we aren't worth funding anymore," she says with a half-hearted laugh. "I just can't believe I lost my phone like that."

"Hey, if I was stuck in an elevator with a hottie, I'd probably forget my phone, too!" Darcy grins.

"I never said he was a hottie," Jane states, shooting the woman a glare before realizing that Darcy is staring at her phone. "What are you doing?"

"Googling him, duh," Darcy says, as though it's the most obvious thing in the world. Jane huffs in protest. "Why?"

"Because I want to see what this guy looks like! Is this him?" She holds out her phone, her screen facing Jane. Jane feels her face begin to heat up as she comes face-to-face with a picture of the man she'd been locked in an elevator with, and quickly leans back in her chair, burying her face in her hands.

"I'm going to take that as a yes!" Darcy laughs. "He's hot, though, seriously. I know you're claustrophobic and all, but you still managed to luck out! I don't think I would have been able to keep my hands to myse—"

"_Darcy_!"

"Sorry," she chuckles, obviously not apologetic at all. "Anyway, do you wanna hear what Google has to say about your mystery man?"

"He's _not_ my mystery man, Darcy, and no, I don't. I'm probably never going to see him again, so—"

"Would Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis please come to the desk at Gate C-3?"

Darcy and Jane share a confused look before getting up and gathering their things, heading for the gate. Jane fights off a bout of nervousness, finding herself increasingly jealous of Darcy's carefree nature as the woman practically skips along beside her.

xXxXxXx

"Hell yeah! This is awesome!" Darcy grins, dropping down in the First-Class seat closest to the window. Jane, who's stuffing her bag under the chair in front of her, nods a bit. "It _is_ pretty nice, I'll admit."

She leans back in her chair, rubbing her temples as she stares at the curtain separating them from Coach. She'd been initially shocked when the attendant had given them upgraded boarding passes for their flight, although she was far from upset about it. She'd figured that Loki must have _really_ reamed the hotel if they'd upgraded both her and Darcy's flight.

When she'd voiced this to her intern, the woman had just offered her a sly grin and a suspicious, "Yeah, it _was_ certainly nice of the _hotel_."

She'd refused to elaborate any further, and after a while, Jane decided that she probably didn't want to know, anyway.

"So, are you _sure_ you don't want me to Google him before we take off? It's not too late."

"_No_," Jane grumbles, pulling out of her thoughts as she tries to situate herself in the seat. At least First-Class is roomier, she thinks. Coach had been a nightmare for her with the claustrophobia—_and _she'd had a middle seat.

The flight itself proves to be uneventful, thankfully, and without her phone to listen to music with (all eight tracks that she's bothered putting on it, but still), she spends the majority of it listening to Darcy's recollection of her bar adventures—two of them, Jane learns.

From what Jane is able to gather, Darcy had managed to find a little group of people to hang out with once she'd gotten into the bar. The "can you hang initiation test", as she'd put it, had been a beer chugging contest with one of the guys—Fandral, if Jane remembers correctly—which Darcy had easily won. College party training, apparently. They'd bar-hopped from that point, in a limo no less, because one of the guys was some famous person, although at this point Jane had begun to only half-listen. They'd ended up having so much fun that Darcy had been invited along the second night (after she'd woken up in their hotel suite—but still clothed, Darcy had reassured). Darcy had agreed eagerly, and then spent the majority of the day sleeping off her hangover so she could go get a new one.

Jane is pretty sure she'll never understand party-life. She's glad that she hadn't tried to go to Darcy's room right after the elevator, at least, because she has a feeling she would have freaked out even more had her intern not answered.

By the time they land and get to the park-and-ride to get Jane's car, she's exhausted. She tosses the keys to Darcy, telling her that driving is the least she can do after everything that's happened. They climb in, preparing to go _home_, finally, and Jane leans her head against the door, looking forward to things finally going back to normal.

xXxXxXx

They'd arrived home too late for Jane to call her provider about a replacement phone, and she'd cursed Sundays for being so inconvenient. Monday had passed with blessedly little incident—the most stressful thing had been Darcy knocking over some equipment, and where Jane would have normally freaked out, she'd just smiled and fixed it.

Darcy is growing concerned, especially as she watches Jane flit around the lab, filling another thermos of coffee for the drive home. She spins happily, smiling at Darcy. "Ready?"

"Uh, yeah," Darcy mutters, getting up from her "desk" and following Jane to the door. They exit the lab Stark Industries has provided to them (and a few other, scarcer scientists that they only see once in a blue moon), making their way home once they've reached the van.

"So . . . You remembered that I'm going to Anna's place tonight, right?" Darcy asks after a while, shooting her friend a curious look.

"Yeah, of course," Jane nods, watching as their apartment comes into view. "It's why we've both got tomorrow off. I told you I wouldn't forget."

Darcy smiles, pulling the car into the normal spot. "Cool. You need me to go inside before I take off?"

"No, I'll be fine," Jane reassures, climbing out of the vehicle and grabbing her bag. "Be nice to the car, alright? And be safe."

"Yes, _Mom_," Darcy teases, settling into the driver's seat again. "I'll be back tomorrow afternoon sometime, okay?"

"Yep," Jane confirms, shutting the door. She beams through the window. "Have fun!"

"Sure thing, boss!" Darcy grins, before backing out of the space. Jane waves at her intern as she begins to drive away, and once she's out of sight, the brunette sighs in relief. She turns, shifting her bag and making her way through the doors to the apartment complex. As much as she loves Darcy, she's really looking forward to the opportunity to relax at home with peace and quiet for the evening.

Closing the door behind her, Jane takes only a moment to set her bag aside and change into her casual clothes (an overly large T-shirt and pajama pants), before brewing a new pot of coffee and relaxing on the couch with her laptop and a full mug. She smiles as the computer boots up, flipping on the TV as well before logging into her email and reading through the few that have arrived.

She glances up as the TV announces its upcoming program, which she gathers is about some "amazing football story", and an interview with the team's star quarterback. Wondering how she even got onto this channel, she's about to flip it over when a preview of the man they're speaking of pops on the screen, as well as his name below it: _Thor Odinson_.

Eyes widening, she stares at the face of the man, allowing the remote to hang loosely in her hand, tempted to watch the story. She could definitely see why that hotel receptionist had been so aggravated—the man on the screen was very attractive, and she had no doubt that he probably had quite the fangirl population. Hell, in high school (and admittedly, probably college, too), this would have been the kind of guy she would have had a major crush on. Now, though, she finds that her interest is more in his name than his appearance.

This had to be the guy that had flown out ridiculously early with Loki that morning. Did that mean that Loki would possibly be mentioned on this program, too?

Snapping out of it, Jane frowns and quickly changes the channel. _Come on, Jane, you're acting like a crazy person_, she reprimands herself, shaking thoughts of the man out of her head. The last thing she needs to do is start obsessing over someone who had run into her several times, entirely by coincidence. She knows she'll never see him again, and so it's pointless to drive herself crazy. She smirks a bit as she realizes that the channel is now on _Fear_, a movie that she'd watched as a teenager that had freaked her out and made watching any Mark Wahlberg film a little awkward for a while. She changes that, too, settling on the weather channel so she can get a feel for how her readings will likely turn out for her next work day.

Content that she's got her mind back in the right place, she starts to look up the newest reports on wormhole theories, sipping on her coffee and settling into the couch further.

xXxXxXx

Jane wakes up the next morning confused and with an awful ache in her neck. She's not quite sure how it happened, but apparently she'd fallen asleep last night on the couch, although she's thankful she had moved her laptop onto the coffee table instead of dropping it on the floor. The last time she remembers looking at the clock before passing out had been somewhere after three in the morning. She sits up, rubbing at her eyes before getting up to go make more coffee, grabbing a stray hair-tie on the way to throw her hair up instead of having it all over her face like it was now.

Yawning some, she shuffles around the kitchen, throwing a halved bagel in the toaster as the aroma of her favorite beverage wafts around her. She blinks drowsily, glancing over at the stove's clock, only to frown some as she realizes it's already eleven. _Well, at least I'm not working today. I guess I needed the sleep._

Gathering up her breakfast, she wanders over to the couch, checking her email again as she nibbles on one of the bagel halves. She's in the middle of reading a weekly report for the lab when a knock sounds at her door. Eyeing the door in confusion, she stands up, making her way over to it. She wonders if Darcy managed to forget her key somehow, although as unlikely as it seems, it wouldn't be the first time. It's just early for her intern to be arriving home after a night of partying.

Drawing in a deep breath, she pulls open the door. "Look, Darcy, you seriously need to hook your key to your keychain like I told you to—oh."

Jane's mouth hangs open in partial shock, her hand dropping off of the door handle as she takes in the tall, dark-haired man standing in front of her. Her brain seems to have shut off of its own accord, because she's pretty sure that this whole thing is impossible, as there's no way that Loki Odinson is standing at her door, an amused expression on his face, and in a black blazer with a green tie.

"Well, I may not be this Darcy you speak of so frequently, but I will do my best to always attach my keys to my keychain, as that seems to be sound advice," he states, clearly entertained with Jane's state of confusion. "Good morning, Ms. Foster. I do hope I haven't arrived at an inopportune time."

Jane stares at him for a few more seconds before finally snapping herself out of it, her brow furrowing. "What . . . What are you doing here? How do you know where I live?"

Loki offers her a kind smile, although the amused glint in his eye takes away from it some. "I know this must appear a bit sudden," he says, holding up his hands in a placating manner. "I am more than willing to explain, but may I come inside first? I'd rather not have this conversation in the hallway of an apartment complex. I'm sure you don't want attention drawn to your home."

She frowns some, looking behind her for a second to make sure that the place isn't messy (which, thankfully, it isn't), before stepping aside slowly. This still feels very surreal, and déjà vu is returning full force. "Sure, I guess . . ."

"Thank you," he says, walking into the apartment. Jane closes the door behind him, swallowing hard, before glancing down at her attire. She flinches. _Why does he always show up when I look like crap?!_

She glances up at him, and he appears to be looking towards the kitchen. She clears her throat. "Look, I sort of woke up not that long ago, so can I just go change real quick? You can help yourself to coffee if you want some."

He nods, once again offering her that infuriatingly understanding smile. On anyone else, it probably wouldn't bother her, but she's got the feeling that this just isn't something he normally does. Granted, she's got nothing to back this up, but her gut isn't typically wrong. She gestures to the kitchen for good measure before disappearing down the small hallway to her room. She closes the door behind her, running a hand over her face and resisting the urge to cry out. Just what the hell is going on? Why does this man keep showing up in her life?!

Deciding that the answer isn't going to just appear in front of her—especially seeing as the "answer" sounded like he was shuffling through cabinets for a cup—Jane digs through her drawers for a pair of jeans and manages to grab a purple blouse, tugging both of them on. She glances in the small mirror she keeps in her room for mornings she's running especially late, fixing her hair up some as well. Standing back, she confirms that she looks as good as she can for such a rushed job, and quickly opens her door, walking back out into the room her "guest" is waiting for her in.

She swallows hard as she spots him adding some sugar to his coffee, his back partially turned to her. He takes up quite a bit of space in the kitchen that's never really occupied by more than just herself and Darcy, and she notes that his hair isn't tied back today. She steels herself as she begins to walk forward, stopping as he turns, spotting her. He nods to her. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah," she answers, leaning against the counter closest to her. "So, what's up with the house call?"

"Well," he starts, stirring his coffee, "as I'm sure you've probably figured out by now, you seem to have left your phone in my jacket by accident during our last encounter. Unfortunately, this wasn't something I realized until after I was home, otherwise I would have returned it to you before I left the hotel."

Jane nods. "Yeah, I'd tried to catch you before you were gone, but you left really early." _Way to _not_ sound creepy, Jane . . . But, in fairness, he _is_ at my house . . ._

"This is true," he smirks. "I apologize for the inconvenience."

Jane shakes her head. "It happens, I guess. That still doesn't explain how you know where I live, though."

"That's where things get a little complicated," he says, having the decency to look a little embarrassed. "You see, I'd originally charged your phone for you in the hopes that I could find a contact number to get a hold of you at and tell you that I'd found it. When that didn't work, I thought to check into the division of Stark Industries you work for, and since I happen to know Mr. Stark personally due to our business transactions, I was able to talk him into helping me out with the dilemma. He's a bit eccentric when it comes to dabbling in peoples' lives, so I got a bit more than I was asking for, but ultimately I was able to get your address. It took a little longer than anticipated because of work, but here I am."

He smirks some, before holding up the phone Jane has missed somewhat fiercely over the past few days. He extends it towards her, and she has to concentrate hard not to just jump at him and snatch it out of his hand. She steps forward and takes it from him, offering him a nod. "It definitely sounds like you went through quite a bit of trouble just for me . . ."

"It's not quite as much trouble as it sounds, I assure you. I know how much my phone can help me throughout the day, so I would be distraught if it were to be gone. As a scientist, I'm sure you have quite a bit of priceless information stored on yours, as well," he states offhandedly, before taking a sip of his coffee. "Consider it no trouble, Ms. Foster."

"Oh, uh, you can just call me Jane," she says, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. "Wouldn't it have been easier to just mail the phone, though?"

"Probably," he shrugs. "But in reality, I don't have very many legitimate excuses for getting out of the office, so I _may_ have used this as one of them. Hopefully I haven't terrified you by just showing up. I imagine it may be a bit strange."

"Well, I'll admit that you weren't exactly who I was expecting at my door. It's not very often you find someone as well dressed as you in this part of town," she chuckles softly, looking down at her phone. Everything seems to be as it was on the device. "I appreciate it, though . . . I really did miss this thing, sadly enough."

"We live in a technological world. There's nothing sad about missing something that's become so integral to our society," he says, a smirk playing on his lips again. "So, how was your flight back from New Jersey? I hope First Class treated you well."

Jane smiles sheepishly. "It was definitely nice. I don't know what all you must have said to the hotel manager, but the fact that they upgraded mine _and_ Darcy's flight is impressive. It made a huge difference in comparison to Coach, that's for sure."

Raising a brow, Loki smirks. "I'm glad to hear that the flight was more comfortable for you, but it wasn't the hotel that offered the upgrade."

Frowning in confusion, she tilts her head. "What? Wait . . . Was it _you_?"

"Yes," Loki nods simply. Before Jane can even try to protest, he shakes his head at her. "I assure you that it was no big deal, Jane. I figured that since you had been in such a traumatic event while on a business trip of all things, it was the least that I could do. I upgraded your intern as well for good measure."

"You didn't have to do that," she tries anyway, unused to such random acts of kindness. She's not even close to sure of how she's supposed to process all of this information.

"I know that," he smirks. "Consider it a gesture of benevolence. I figured that flights would be uncomfortable for you, anyway, and two experiences like what you had in as many days would be hard for anyone. I wanted to spare you that."

"Well, I doubt a flight would be in suspension in complete darkness like an elevator, but thank you, anyway," Jane rationalizes. She wrings her hands habitually, glancing over at the clock. It's already eleven-thirty, and she's starting to get a little nervous. Darcy could get home at any time now.

"I couldn't help but notice that you've got food on your coffee table while you were changing. Did I interrupt your breakfast?"

Her attention snapping back to Loki at the sound of his voice, Jane nods a little bit. "Well, kind of. I was just having a snack before lunch, since I woke up pretty late."

"Oh dear," he frowns, and Jane decides that the frown doesn't look very good on him. She quickly reprimands herself for the train of thought as he opens his mouth to speak again, "I'll have to make that up to you."

Jane laughs in spite of herself. "That's _really_ not necessary, Mr. Odinson. Seriously, you've already done far more than you had to just by bringing my phone to me. Add the flight on top of it, and you don't owe me anything at all."

"It's Loki," he states, looking down at her. She can see in his eyes that he's apparently determined not to take no for an answer. "And I insist."

Jane's brow furrows. "I'm serious, _Loki_, you don't have to."

Loki's smirk widens just a little bit, and Jane has a feeling he isn't used to _not_ getting exactly what he wants. He glances out at the rest of her apartment, and she can practically see the cogs in his head turning. "I do hope you know that I can continue this all day, _Jane_. I insist that you allow me to make it up to you. I was taught that it's not polite to interrupt a woman while she's eating, so do you really wish to stop me from being capable of making up for something my own mother instilled in me?"

_Low blow_, Jane thinks, trying not to allow herself to get frustrated. "Of course not, but I can't ask you to do such a thing after you've already done so much."

"That's an argument you seem to be fond of using," he says with amusement. "You _also_ seem to neglect the fact that I'm not paying it much mind. I don't care what I've already done or what I haven't, I won't leave until I have your agreement."

Jane feels like slapping her palm against her face and screaming in aggravation. This man is so stubborn! She breathes in deeply through her nose as her brain once again reminds her that Darcy could be home at _any _time, and the man she _just_ got her intern to stop asking about is standing in her _kitchen_. She stares at Loki contemplatively for a long moment. _Well, maybe he just wants to take me to get some coffee. That's not too bad. I can deal with that, I guess. I just can't let Darcy catch him here._

"Okay, fine," Jane breathes, crossing her arms. She offers him a resigned smile. "Since it's such a big deal to you, I guess I don't have much of a choice, huh?"

His smirk seems to widen at this, although Jane isn't sure how it's possible. She watches as he sets his cup down and then stands up straighter. "Excellent."

Jane finds herself starting to follow him as he turns to walk, making his way towards her front door. Brow furrowing, she watches as he pulls it open, stepping halfway out before turning to glance at her. She lifts a brow at him. "So . . . What exactly is the plan here?"

"It's simple," he says, walking out of the apartment altogether. He turns around to completely face her, and Jane eyes him warily. His eyes are amused and have a nearly smug glint in them, but he offers her a light wink that throws her off guard. "I'll be picking you up here at eight o'clock on Saturday for dinner."

Jane's jaw practically drops open. "Wait—what? Over a breakfast? But I—"

"Too late," he states, wagging his finger at her. "It's non-negotiable, and you've already agreed to it. So, just dress nicely, I'll take you out, and we'll call it even."

Just about every part of Jane is screaming at her to protest, but before she can even open her mouth again, he reaches out and takes a hold of the door handle. A smirk reappearing on his face, he nods at her. "Considering I did tell you I'd leave once I had your agreement, it's only fair that I hold up my end of the bargain. I'll see you Saturday, Jane. Have a good afternoon."

"Yeah . . . Bye," Jane manages to say just before the door is closed for her. She spends the next few minutes staring at the peephole, not quite sure that she believes what's just happened. _I just got tricked into going to dinner with him. What is going _on_? Some kind of date?_

The thought makes her face feel hot, and so she quickly turns away from the door, running a hand through her hair. She walks over and picks up her "breakfast", staring down at it. She's not hungry anymore, as her stomach is churning, although whether it's from anticipation or nervousness, she's not sure. She has a lot of thinking to do before Saturday, she decides, seeing as it looks like this strange man has no intention of disappearing from her life anytime soon.

Sighing, she tosses the leftover food in the garbage and sets the plate in the sink. She grabs his mug, doing her best to ignore the fact that he had touched it, and puts it in the sink as well. She makes quick work of washing them, and then makes herself a new cup of coffee before waking her laptop back up to look at her schedule for Saturday.

She already knows that she's usually off on Saturdays, but part of her wishes she could use that as an excuse. Considering Loki was able to get her address from Stark Industries (had Tony Stark _really_ been so easy to get information from? Or had it been an assistant?), she wouldn't be surprised if he'd gotten her schedule, too. She is tempted to Google the man, but thinks better of it. So far, he's been nothing but nice to her, if not a bit strange. There's no point in getting overly paranoid because of some random coincidences, and it wasn't as though the idea of going out to dinner with him wasn't appealing.

In reality, she's ridiculously nervous about the idea of it, but not because she's scared of him. She knows that he hasn't seen much of her best side as things were now, so why he even wants to take her out is baffling. _Well, maybe this is a good thing . . . I can actually be prepared to see him this time, so I won't be soaked from the rain or still in my pajamas. _

Nodding in determination, she distracts herself with the rest of the weekly report still on her laptop's screen, drumming her fingertips on the keys as she does so. She idly continues through the rest of her emails, then finds a few other things to sort through, and is finally pulled away from the laptop at around two when Darcy barges in through the door.

"Woo! What a night!" she grins, dropping her bag on the floor. She stretches for added emphasis, glancing over at Jane. "How was your night in?"

"Same as always," Jane replies, offering her intern a smile. "You didn't get too drunk, then?"

"Nope! Still standing, still not in jail," Darcy laughs, making her way over to the couch. She pulls her phone out of her pocket. "Here, I _totally_ forgot to give this to you yesterday so you could get a replacement cell. My bad."

Jane shakes her head, having prepared for this moment to avoid unnecessary questions. She holds up her own phone. "No problem. It worked out better this way, actually. I guess that guy was able to get the address and mailed mine back to me."

Darcy's eyebrows shoot to her hairline. "That was quick."

"Well, it's not surprising considering that the house the party we went to was held isn't _super_ far from here. I don't imagine mail would take that long to get from place to place."

"True," Darcy shrugs, before frowning as her stomach rumbles. "So, I totally haven't eaten since I got in from the bar this morning. You wanna walk down to the coffee shop and grab some food?"

Getting up from the couch, Jane nods. "That sounds good, actually. Let me just grab some socks and a coat."

Darcy watches as her friend disappears to her room. She walks into the kitchen for a quick glass of water, looking around for a moment before a devious smirk spreads across her face. She leans against the counter, gaze sweeping the room once more as she hears Jane walk back down the hall, having apparently grabbed a pair of shoes to throw on in the room as well.

"You ready to go?" the woman asks.

"Sure," Darcy grins, moving to follow the woman out of the apartment.

She wonders when she should mention that she knows the phone wasn't shipped to the apartment. There's no box lying around, or in the trash, and Darcy's looking forward to seeing her friend's expression when she gets busted.

* * *

><p><em>AN: There you go! So, I know there were quite a few scene transitions in this chapter, which isn't something I typically do a _whole_ lot, because a lot of transitions can be chaotic, but for this chapter it was a bit necessary because I wanted to embody some of the chaotic feelings Jane is associating with in the chapter itself (hopefully that makes sense, haha).  
><em>

_So, we get to see a bit of what Thor is up to in this, which will start piecing together with some things if you guys haven't already begun doing that, and Loki makes his appearance in a stubborn way! Plus Darcy proves to be more observant than Jane anticipated! Let me know what you guys think is going to happen; it's one of my favorite things, haha! _

_Please review, as it helps keep my motivation up! _


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